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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25470577">A Cold Hogwarts Winter</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nexas_Hart/pseuds/Nexas_Hart'>Nexas_Hart</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Dresden Files Fusion, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Winter Knight Harry Dresden</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:29:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25470577</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nexas_Hart/pseuds/Nexas_Hart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mab has a debt to pay. Dumbledore has a problem to address. Harry Dresden and Molly Carpenter are stuck in the middle.</p><p>Another war? Hell's Bells. At least he isn't the Harry that started this one.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bob the Skull &amp; Harry Dresden, Hermione Granger &amp; Ginny Weasley, Molly Carpenter &amp; Harry Dresden</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This takes place before Skin Games and during Order of the Phoenix. It's just easier for the story if it happens that way.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 1</p><p>	Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is stressed. Why is he stressed, you might ask? Well, he’s sitting in his ornately carved headmaster’s chair, surrounded by portraits of his predecessors, having to coordinate the beginnings of a war against a dark wizard so feared that the government refuses to believe that he has returned. Now, that very same government has openly begun to undermine any and all attempts the very tired Headmaster has made to prepare the people for the coming days.</p><p>All of this, of course, is being done as the school year fast approaches; and Albus Dumbledore still has not been able to find a suitable replacement for the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. With Alastor working to gather the other members of the Order, he isn’t available to fill the position that he was assigned last year. Of course, even if he was, even Albus wouldn’t be so calloused as to subject him to that fate after what happened to him in that very room last year.</p><p>If he cannot fill the position, the Ministry of Magic has said that it will find its own “suitable candidate”. Just the less extreme guesses that this wizened headmaster could consider almost makes him shudder.</p><p>Finally, is the issue with Mr. Potter. With the threat now more real than ever, he will need protection. Not only that, he will also need to be trained to defend himself to a greater degree, and for a wider variety of dangers.</p><p>With his options limited, and desperation coming from the latest notice from the Ministry, Albus Dumbledore has to call in a favor that he’d hoped he would never need in his life-time or after.</p><p>	In the empty space near the door to his office, the most powerful wizard of his generation draws a simple circle in chalk, closing it with a trickle of will that most other wand wielding wizards could barely achieve without assistance. With a deep breath, he begins to speak.</p><p>	“Monarch of Air and Darkness, Queen of the Unseelie Court, Personification of Winter. Mab, Mab, Mab. I call you.”</p><p>***</p><p>	When someone knocks on Harry Dresden’s door, he is always cautious. When he’s on his super scary private island that doesn’t even appear on maps, and he senses someone stepping on land, he’s admittedly paranoid. When this particular being decides to pay him a visit, he wants to run down into the prison that he’s been unwittingly made the warden of. Not like it’ll make a difference, but the feeling is still present. Instead, he waits patiently for the figure to saunter up to his hut.</p><p>	“My Queen,” he bows dramatically. “What brings you to my humble abode?”</p><p>	“I require my Knight’s assistance,” she addresses him with a cold stare.</p><p>	“Obviously,” he snorts, dropping a pretext of manners. “You don’t ever come calling unless you do. So, what do you need?”</p><p>	“In days past, a man did me a favor in not a small matter,” she explains. “He has called in his debt. For this, I will be sending you and Lady Carpenter to repay it. I will be giving an account when she arrives. After I depart, I expect you to follow suit with haste. Time is of the essence,” she smiles. “You may also wish to bring that little knowledge spirit you left your allies. As insufferable as he may be to me and mine, he could prove useful in your mission.”</p><p>***</p><p>	“C’mon, Boss,” Molly Carpenter, Winter Lady, nudges her former mentor with her elbow. “This’ll be fun. A little bonding trip. We hardly ever do anything together anymore.”</p><p>	“Yeah. Fun,” Harry grumbles. “Going to a school in another country. Teaching a bunch of snot-nosed kids about a branch of magic that I know nothing about. All while protecting the wizard Luke Skywalker from yet another threat to the world as we know it. Yeah, loads of fun.” He sighs. “I’m probably going to end up ruining their lives somehow. Maybe even traumatizing them.”</p><p>	“You did alright with me,” Molly says, soft smile on her face. “And we both know you would’ve accepted this job with or without the Winter Mantle. With more than one child’s safety on the line. Karrin said so when you called her.”</p><p>	“Apartum,” the older wizard mutters as he cuts a Way through the cold Winter air in front of him.</p><p>	The two of them step out of the Nevernever, into a cold and damp forest on what should be Great Britain. Right in front of them, standing casually with hand behind his back, is an old man wearing a robe. His eyes seem to twinkle with a sort of intelligence and good humor that a lot of old men have, but there’s also a cunning there that sets Harry on edge. The way he avoids looking directly into the Winter Knight’s eyes while still looking at his face shows he’s dealt with Harry’s brand of wizard before.</p><p>	“Albus Dumbledore, I presume?”<br/>
 </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Their first steps into the wizarding world. A bit shaky, but steps nonetheless.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, I found my books, which means I should be able to update this a bit more. No promises on a regular schedule, but I hope you enjoy it when I do.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter 2</p><p>	“Mr. Dresden,” the old man nods in greeting, smile on his face. “And Lady Carpenter, I would gather. It’s nice to finally make your acquaintance. I suppose your Queen would have given you a basic overview of what your assignment will be, but I will give you a more in-depth explanation of your role while we walk. Don’t worry, our destination is as far as it might seem.”</p><p>	He walks along through the trees, the ranking leaders of the Winter Court following a half a step behind him.</p><p>	“You see Mr. Dresden. I am in a bit of a dire strait, you could say. The return of the Dark Lord was unexpected, under witnessed, and entirely unwelcome by the wizarding community as a whole.”</p><p>	“As is the case with most warlocks,” Harry puts his two cents in.</p><p>	“Quite,” Dumbledore’s brows crinkle in amusement. “It is because of these simple facts, however, that the Ministry of Magic has taken to believing that the person in question has not returned at all. In doing so, they have also begun undermining and criticizing any and all who believe in His return, myself and Mr. Potter being the main targets. Over the break in the school season, they have begun attempting to allow their own staff to infiltrate the school in order to more fully convince the students, and the public, of my and Mr. Potters ‘delusional stories.’ I require you to not only protect the boy and the rest of my students while they are at school, but also have a need for you to fill the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher so as to staunch the Ministry’s attempts at blinding the people, even to the smallest degree, while I prepare for the inevitable war that is coming.”</p><p>	Just what Harry needs. Another war to be wrapped up in. It must’ve been one hell of a favor for Mab to allow her two prized pawns to be placed right in the middle of this mess.</p><p>	“Okay,” Harry nods his head. “I get the gist of it. So, I do have a few things that need clarification. First of all, I don’t know anything about this wizarding community or the way you do magic. All I do know is it has something to do with a specifically attuned magical focus?”</p><p>	“Yes,” Dumbledore lets out a light laugh. “It did slip my mind that your kind don’t use wands in your casting. I was, of course, planning on having one of my associates take you to peruse the wares at Diagon Alley, but they will have to get you fitted for a wand, as well. That will be easy enough.”</p><p>	“Second,” Dresden continues on. “I can assume the basics of the class by the name, but how am I going to teach a whole school of students about a branch of magic I will have just begun a short while before? I doubt your Ministry would approve of that.”</p><p>	“I believe that the bookstore, Flourish and Blotts, will have anything you need for the class,” the wizened old man keeps his smile on his face. “I will also give you the notes by the reliable teachers of the subject that we have had in the past. Any other books that you may wish for the students to study from can be written down and given to me to allow for them to be put on the order list for that very same store. As for the magic, I have heard that your wizards are able to pick up on it quickly. Study up, and I believe you will do just fine.”</p><p>***</p><p>	“Alright, Bob,” Harry knocks on the skull. “Time to do some work.”</p><p>	“Whatcha need, boss?” The skulls eyes light up. “We reach Europe yet?”</p><p>	“Yeah,” the wizard sighs back. “Picked up a few things at the local bookstore.” He sets various tomes down in front of the knowledge spirit. “I need you to give me a basic rundown of what you see in here. Also, I need what you might know about these wand wielders and their school.”</p><p>	“Which school?” The skull flips open one of the books with a gust of wind.</p><p>	“There’s more than one?”</p><p>	“Sure,” Bob swirls his eyes like he’s rolling them. “Three in Europe alone. There’s one in France, co-ed but lots of good-looking girls. Then there’s one farther north. Haven’t actually been there, but they seem to be a bit more stoic and colder. Fits the bone chilling weather. There’s also one in Scotland-.”</p><p>	“That’s the one,” Harry interrupts. “We’re in an old tavern in London right now, so I’d bet they’ll take us there when the school year starts up.”</p><p>	“Hogwarts,” Bob starts. “More free-form than the other schools. Divided into four ‘houses’ that are based upon various aspects of the children’s potential, personality, and heritage. Not the best system, in my personal opinion. Plenty of flaws in it, but it works to a certain degree. Merlin, the original Merlin, actually was a graduate of the school himself.”</p><p>	“How’s that work?” Harry frowns. “There are major differences between our magic and there’s. Wouldn’t he have kept with the old style that he learned as a kid?”</p><p>	“You are using the old style,” the ancient knowledge spirit explains. “At least, as close to it as any humans can. The wand wielders use a more standardized, if more efficient, type of magic that became popularized during the time of the Roman Empire. Merlin researched historical records and ancient ruins and cultures to rediscover the magic and arts that you and the Council use today. New magic, new rules, and a new regulatory government. He split off from his roots and there’s only been the rare intersect between the two worlds ever since. Speaking of the two worlds, you’ve got me reading some weird stuff.” He flips through the pages a bit more. “These are law books.”</p><p>	“I’m going to be pushing back against the Ministry of Magic, Great Britain’s wizard government,” he sighs. “They’re a bit more systematic than the White Council, which makes them pretty convoluted, too. The whole thing with the FBI and the Red Court, and being in Winter for so long, has made me understand that I need to know more about the rules my enemies play by.”</p><p>	“Least your learning,” the skull grumbles. “Butters gave me some law books, too. After that whole incident in your lab, and being stuffed into a sack and thrown into the Nevernever, got annoyed about knowing so little about the most prolifically annoying species on the planet.”</p><p>	“Glad we’re on the same page,” Harry chuckles as he picks up his own reading material. “But I’ve gotta learn a bit more about this standardized form of magic if I’m going to be teaching it.”</p><p>***</p><p>	“Hey, Boss,” Molly barges into his room. “Back from shopping.”</p><p>	She holds up four bags, two in each hand, no doubt full of various things she found amusing.</p><p>	Harry raise an eyebrow at the collection. “You know, you don’t have to buy everything you like, right?”</p><p>	“But we’ve got money,” she shrugs. “The Queen has an account at the bank, and just because you get sour looks walking in there, doesn’t mean I will.”</p><p>	“It’s not my fault I have some less than ideal experiences with their king,” Harry whines, offended.</p><p>	“I know,” the young Lady can’t help but giggle. “You’re a trouble magnet, but what are the chances that the entire monetary trade of the wizarding world is run by goblins.”</p><p>	Bob snorts from his perch on the room’s vanity. “And these ones are slightly different than the ones in the Nevernever. They don’t have as solid a magical connection with him, but they revere the Erlking as a sort of deity. Congratulations, Harry. You’ve only been in the wizarding world for a day, and you’ve already committed blasphemy against an entire race of intelligent species.”</p><p>	There’s more grumbling as he looks back at his book.</p><p>	“C’mon, Boss,” Molly plops a bag on the bed he’s sitting at. “It’s not all bad. I got you something.” He riffles through the bag and picks out a large stack of bound papers. “Those happen to be the required materials lists for the past few years of students at Hogwarts. Figured you’d want a reference of what you might need to have them bring. Then, you could add your own Dresden flair to the list.”</p><p>	“Thanks, Grasshopper,” he flips through the list.</p><p>	“There’s also a few more presents in there that I thought you might enjoy.”</p><p>	She leaves to her own room as Harry looks into the bottom of the bag.</p><p>	“Oh, candy,” he pulls out a carton of sweets.</p><p>	He props his book back on his lap as he opens up the container and pops a jellybean in his mouth. Interesting, it tastes exactly like a root beer float. He picks another one randomly, popping it in his mouth. Buttered popcorn! Getting a bit excited, he grabs another and tosses it in. Then, the taste hits.</p><p>	“Son of a-!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Comments and Kudos. Don't be mean.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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